Plan was to assemble my engine later today, BUT it's currenlty 37 degrees out. At what temp should I be concerned about seals seating correctly? (if at all) It will be assembled in a connected garage so I won't be seeing same temps as outside, but it also won't be 78.

 

37F is too cold for me!

i looked up the maths, but i'm not doing them correctly,
<-- not an engineer, i did play a pilot though! Michael Stocklin - IMDb

anyways, if you want to boringly confuse yourself,

Coefficients of Linear Thermal Expansion

Thermal Expansion Calculator

 

^ I am known for boringly confusing myself!! Or maybe that's just being boring and confusing??


Is it too cold for you personally...or too cold for assembling the engine (there is a difference)


It has warmed up some to 41 outside (hello spring!!)and the garage is warmer than that. I'm decently comfy in a fall/spring light jacket...so I think temp has proven to be a non-factor.

All that fancy math stuff you were kinda enough link aside, I'm curious to know when it is too cold just to have it out there. I'm assuming that lower temps are actually better (to a point) because lower temps will help the petroleum jelly have better adherence. Thus less likely to loose a corner seal or fight with apex seals while putting the rotors in place.

 

Well it all kinda became a moot point, as my helper was tied up doing other things. I want a third and fourth hand to help in getting the middle iron in place.

Looks like I'll assemble it in the AM...unless they get home relatively quickly.

 

me personally! the engine won't care much

 

there really is no limit, exception being some fluids will be difficult to work with when it is sub freezing.

i've assembled engines in 20F temperatures with no problem.

other end of the spectrum, the vaseline i use to assemble rotors with turns to liquid when its over 100F.

 

i tend to mine in a shed that is 42 C + ( well over 100 F ) in summer .
vas doesnt hold the seals too well at these temps.. and i leak liquid at a rapid rate
have a rag for my hands and one for my eyes !!

 

glad i have a swamp cooler in the shop and AC in the office or i'd probably die. too bad even in the air conditioned office on hot days it's still about 90F inside and well over 100F under the swamp cooler inside the shop. ambient temps getting above 115F suck to work in, but i still prefer hot to cold, frozen hands are the worst... fingers just don't work like they used to.

 

Cooler is better until you get too cold to work your fingers.

 

Thanks for the input, I thought I had seen somewhere that below freezing was the threshold...maybe that's just the threshold where people are willing to work :P

In perfect keeping with "if it could go wrong...." last weekend I lost a corner piece of an apex seal and thought I had ordered a replacement from Atkins....to find today that they sent me a solid corner seal instead.

Assembly once again delayed...

 

its too cold to work on the engines when you have to keep diesel fires burning under your tank to stop the lubrication oils from waxing solid while on the road to moscow...no.. wait

 

So are you just assembling?
Most engine shops have their shops at 70 so when there measuring clearances everything is consistent.
Have you done the rotor assemblies yet?

 

If your tongue freezes to the flagpole or the rotor housing, it's too cold.

 

^
^

 

Yes just assembling. It's a rebuild of a rebuild that was 2k miles into break-in. Rotor seals were clearanced on the first rebuild. All the seals stayed in the same places (except for one corner piece of one apex seal which migrated to places unknown. The oil control rings did not come apart and the apex seals haven't even come out of their designated slots.